A Love Letter Across the Rainbow Bridge
Forever My Zeus
I didn’t plan the day our paths would meet,
A shelter pup, four months old and impossibly sweet.
Another hand reached out, but I got there fast,
And claimed the best decision of my past.
There was a girl too young and needing her father’s say,
So on a selfish impulse I rescued my soulmate that day.
They called you Lazy, a nickname that fit,
You napped more than played, but I loved every bit.
Sixteen breeds blended, a marvelous surprise,
But love was the breed I saw in your eyes.
You were my Noodle, my Poodle, my Doodle Dog, my Goose,
An endless list of nicknames that sometimes rhymed with Zeus.
An obedience school dropout, but your tricks were still grand,
If I called out, “Bang!” you’d topple down right on command.
You raised young puppies with patience to spare,
A surly old teacher, but steady and fair.
Your high-pitched bark for play or for need,
Or joining the chorus: “We’re barking indeed!”
Your tail was a drumbeat that thundered with glee,
“Jumanji” we called it, a rhythm you learned for me.
You hated the water, you hated the rain,
But you held space for my sadness and swallowed my pain.
You’d rest your chin on my knee when I was torn,
A storm god soft, who kept me safe and warm.
Through heartbreak, through moving, through losses, through change,
Your constant was love, and that never grew strange.
When darkness convinced me I might not survive,
Your love was a tether that kept me alive.
You taught me to give and to put you first,
How love isn’t hunger but quenching a thirst.
You were my companion, my familiar, my bestie, my boo,
We stitched together a secret language just for us two,
You’d bark from the hallway, demanding I stand,
For moral support when you needed a hand.
And I tucked my cold toes underneath your warm frame,
Even though cuddling wasn’t at all your favorite game.
I miss your soft whine and your paw on my knee,
Your hot breath, your tongue, and your fur against me.
The thick neck I hugged, the soft ears I’d stroke,
The thousands of pictures, the moments they evoke.
This is modern love, it’s a love story goal,
You helped heal my heart and you mended my soul.
Taking care of you was the honor of my life,
Through joy and through grief, through struggle and strife.
And at the last moment, I held you so near,
Your head on my shoulder, my voice in your ear.
I thanked you for everything as you slipped from my view,
I am gutted but grateful for a life lived with you.
You are the love of my life, my best friend,
I’d do it all over, from start to the end.
Such a beautiful soul, you made me complete,
Forever my Zeus, forever my heartbeat.
